


Brave Fronts

by Woofemus



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Family Fluff, Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-03 18:12:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6621043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Woofemus/pseuds/Woofemus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Azura has too much fun telling scary stories sometimes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brave Fronts

“The maid crept down the hallways, silent as a mouse. Steps echoed from behind but whenever she looked, there would always be no one there. Thinking it a trick of her tired mind, she continued along, down the hallway.”

“That was when she began to notice something odd. On the wall was a dirty streak, something the maid was sure hadn’t been there before. After all, she had cleaned the very same hallway earlier that afternoon! As she walked closer, it was then that she realized, that the streak was blood. As soon as she came to that realization, there was a tap on her shoulder—“

A scream rang out through the room.

The door to the room slammed open, and footsteps immediately raced up against the floor next to them. “Sakura! What was that I just heard?! Are you okay—“

“B-Brother!” Sakura rolled out of the way to narrowly avoid being trampled in the darkness. Azura quickly reached over to the lantern, lighting it up and revealing the situation to everyone. Takumi stood over them, frowning as he inspected the scene before him.  

“… what? It’s just you two? What the heck are you two doing in the dark? Why did you scream earlier, Sakura?”

Sakura turned bright red. “T-that! That was…” She looked down at her lap, mumbling.

“Sorry, Takumi,” Azura spoke up then, sounding a little too amused for Takumi’s sake. “I was telling scary stories for Sakura.”

“For Sakura?” Takumi raised his brow. “Aren’t you scared of them?”

“Y-yes! B-but… I wanted to t-try to prove that I could sit through at l-least one! But… but then…”

Takumi sighed, shaking his head exasperatedly. “Sakura, you’re a princess! How can you be scared of things like ghosts and spirits?”

“They’re scary,” Sakura mumbled, pouting slightly.

“… whatever. Just as long as you’re not in danger. See you—“ and he blinked, looking down at where Sakura had gripped his hand.

“W-wait! I, um, can… c-can you stay with me? If you’re here, I think… I-I think I can do it! I can be brave!”

Takumi paled.

“No, no, no,” he instantly said. He tried to shake off Sakura’s hold. “You’re on your own. I’ve, uh, I’ve got something to do right now—“

“I-I heard Mother saying you were free for the r-rest of the night though?” Sakura said hesitantly. Takumi froze. Brother and sister stared at each other, Sakura’s eyes pleading, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, and Takumi realized he was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Growling under his breath, he quickly sat down next to Sakura, huffing. “Fine! Just one story! Just because you asked.”

“Y-yay! Thank you so much, Takumi!” Sakura beamed at him. He smirked, crossing his arms.

“O-of course! Something as stupid as ghost stories and horror tales won’t scare me!”

They both looked at Azura expectantly. Startling a little when she realized she had both of their attention now, she smiled innocently at them, making herself comfortable once more.

“Well… if you’re ready then…” she spoke, her voice trailing off ominously. She smiled at them again, and blew out the lantern. Save for the moonlight outside, they were surrounded by darkness. Takumi felt Sakura immediately latch onto his arm, and he had to try his best not to do the same to her.

“This story comes one from of the attendants, who heard footsteps late at night near the abandoned shed—“  

* * *

Despite needing to pause every now and then, Azura managed to get through a good chunk of her story. She was more than impressed; it looked as if Sakura _was_ braver when her brother was there with her.

She couldn’t say the same for Takumi.

“But, he noticed something was amiss as he got closer to his bed…” Azura continued, “on his table next to his bed, he always had a picture of his beloved wife.” She paused, waiting for a moment before taking a deep breath. “And… that night… it was gone, and in its place—“

“G-gah!” Takumi shouted suddenly. “S-Sakura, you’re holding my hand too hard!”

“W-what? I t-thought you were the one holding onto mine!”

In the darkness, Azura heard clothes rustling. Who was moving around, she wasn’t sure, but she had a feeling it was Takumi.

“A-anyway!” Takumi coughed into his hand. “I think that’s enough for me. C-clearly, this story is going to end with his wife haunting him and then he’ll die! Alright, good night!” He abruptly stood up, and Azura could faintly make out Sakura trying to tug him back down.

Azura reached out as well, brushing her hand against his.

A piercing shriek rang out through the room. There was silence afterward, then—

Once more for that night, the door slammed open. Before anyone could react, there was someone else in the room, holding a lantern.

“Takumi?! Was that you?! Are you alright?”

Oh, Azura thought, smiling slyly to herself when she realized who had come.

“T-That wasn’t me!” Takumi squeaked out, his voice shrill.

“B-Brother, it’s okay now!” Sakura cried out. “Big Sister is here with us!”

“What’s going on, everyone?” Hinoka asked, looking all around. “Azura? What are you guys doing here in the dark?”

“I was just telling them some scary stories,” Azura answered cheerfully.

It was subtle, but Azura caught the brief moment of hesitation in Hinoka. It made her smile.

“A-ah! Is that so? Just… j-just don’t make so much noise next time! Good night—”

“Wait!” Takumi reached out, grabbing Hinoka’s sleeve. “Since you’re here now, why don’t you also join us?” His voice was friendly, inviting even, but Azura knew better. He was most likely already plotting how to escape from this room, using Hinoka. “Sakura asked me to join, and it seems fair that you should also join us as well.”

Hinoka gaped at him, and Azura could see the gears in Hinoka’s mind turning as she scrambled for an excuse.

“I-I also heard from Mother that you were f-free for the night,” Sakura helpfully supplied.

Hinoka tensed up, frantically glancing between everyone. Sakura’s eyes pleaded with her, and Takumi’s were hard, like he was in the middle of battle, while Azura politely feigned interest, trying not to seem _too_ coercive like the others. Realizing she had no other choice, Hinoka sat down, grumbling.

“Alright fine. But one story! And that’s it!” She looked over at Azura, a challenge in her eyes. “I’m not afraid of some ghosts! Bring it on!”

Azura carefully held up the lantern, its light casting shadows on her face. She looked over at everyone and slowly smiled, giggling even before blowing out the light, and letting the darkness engulf them once more.

“I’ve saved the best for last,” she whispered, and all three of them could hear the glee in her voice. “I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.”

Almost immediately, Hinoka felt both of her siblings latching onto her, the both of them whimpering softly. In that moment, Hinoka wished she was better at making excuses.

* * *

Ryoma opened his eyes and tiredly sat up from his futon, confusedly glancing all around.

“I could have sworn I just heard a scream…” He pushed himself out of bed and walked into the hallway, yawning behind his mouth. “Won’t hurt to check up on everyone…”

This late in the night, there were few attendants wandering around, and they all politely nodded to him as he passed. They didn’t hear anything then? Ryoma swore he could…

Footsteps thudded down the hallway.

Despite the sluggishness he still felt, Ryoma instantly felt himself alert, tensing himself up. Someone running at this time of the night? An emergency?

And Azura came into view then, crashing into him. “O-oh!”

“Azura?!” Ryoma immediately brought his arms around her, checking her for injuries. “What’s wrong? Why are you running so late at night?”

“Ah!” She blinked up at him before smiling sheepishly. “Oh, um, I apologize, it really isn’t anything serious.”

“… are you sure?” he asked, unable to help scrutinize her. She looked flustered and out of breath, like she had been running for a while. Azura fidgeted under his look, and he tried to soften his face. He cleared his throat, and tried again. “Azura, if something is bothering you, please don’t hesitate to talk to me, or one of the others too, if you need to. We’ll be here for you—“

“It’s nothing, really!” Azura quickly said again. She eased his hands off of her and smiled reassuringly. “Truly, I mean it. I was actually spending time with the others just now, and…”

Strangely, she trailed off and brought a hand to her face. If it wasn’t for him still being a little groggy, he was almost certain that she was trying to muffle laughter behind her hand.

Before he could speak, she reached out, lightly touching his arm in reassurance. “Thank you for your concern, Ryoma. Please excuse me.” She gave him one more smile and brushed past him, disappearing around the corner at the end of the hallway.

Ryoma wandered back to his room, shrugging his shoulders. “Must be nothing then,” he muttered as he went over to his futon. It was too dark for him to notice the conspicuous lump on his bed, and he pulled back the covers.

Three sets of eyes met his, and—

Ryoma shouted in surprise, tossing his blankets across to reveal the intruders in his bed. He tried to reach for his sword—

Hands wrapped around his body and tugged him downward, straight into the floor.

He didn’t crash as hard as he thought, landing on something soft, the softness being several bodies, he was beginning to realize. Before he could react, there was someone on top of him, and Sakura’s terrified face met his.

“B-Big Brother!” she cried out, hugging him tightly.

“H-hey! You’re still on top of me—augh!” Ryoma looked down to see Takumi struggling underneath _both_ of them. Actually, there was a third body too—

“Takumi! Stop moving around so much, you’re gonna kick—gah!”

Ah, there was Hinoka.

The door to his room burst open then. Sakura and Takumi yelped, instantly freezing up and clinging to him tightly.

Azura came into the room with a lantern, peering down at him with a worried look. “Ryoma! Are you alright? I heard a lot… of… noise…” she trailed off, realizing there were _four_ sets of eyes on her now. Her expression changed into one of amusement. “Oh, is this where you all ran off to?”

“Can someone please explain what’s going on here?” Ryoma asked, trying to speak as sternly as possible. Sakura looked up at him, tears in her eyes, and Ryoma couldn’t help but drop his sternness, reaching up to pat her on the head. Or, he would have, if Hinoka and Takumi weren’t on top of his arms at the moment.

“I was telling scary stories for them to enjoy,” Azura answered, a little too innocently. “During the last part, they all, um, screamed and ran away and I went out to find them. To think they would end up fleeing to your bed!”

“I-I didn’t run!” Takumi protested. “It was because Sakura ran first so I w-wanted to follow after her!”

“Weren’t you the one who ran first?” Hinoka lifted her head to look at him accusingly.

“T-the both of you just left me alone in the dark…” Sakura whimpered.

Ryoma cleared his throat, stopping an argument from breaking out. He eased out his arm out from under Hinoka, and gestured for Azura to come closer. She did, setting the lantern down behind her before crouching down to face him.

“Since you’ve caused this mess…” With all the skill and strength that only a samurai like Ryoma could possess, his hand whipped out like lightning and latched onto Azura’s ankle. Before she could even react, she was already tumbling down toward the pile of bodies, too surprised to even scream.

“A-ah! B-Big Brother—“

“Takumi! Your foot, your _foot—ow!_ That’s my leg!“

“Stop moving around, you’re all so heavy! Gah!”

Azura found herself squished, inbetween Hinoka and Sakura, as they were on top of Ryoma. Takumi had stopped moving, groaning miserably and accepting his fate of being crushed by all of them. Azura opened her mouth to speak but Sakura’s hands found her then, clinging to her tightly.

“That went better than expected,” Ryoma said, laughing where he was underneath his sisters.

“Easy for you to say,” Takumi grumbled.

“S-sorry, B-Big Brother,” Sakura whispered, leaning forward into Azura to hide her face from embarrassment. Azura could feel the heat rolling off her cheeks. “W-we didn’t m-mean to w-wake you up.”

“Well, we were the ones who ran here first,” Hinoka said, sheepish.

Ryoma laughed again. “I’m flattered that you all went to seek my protection but I fear Raijinto won’t be very effective against ghosts,” he said wryly.

“N-no?” Sakura tensed up again, and Azura had to bring her arms up, running her fingers through Sakura’s hair in an attempt to calm her down. Sakura had sat through _three_ horror stories tonight, more than the other siblings, and Azura was secretly proud of her bravery. It was a new record, at least.

“It’s okay, Sakura,” Azura said softly. “I won’t tell any more stories for the night. And everyone’s here too. You’re safe.”

“That’s right!” Hinoka said, reaching out to ruffle Sakura’s hair. From behind Sakura, Azura could see Takumi tapping Sakura’s leg, as if to let her know he was there too.

“Oh… okay…” Sakura looked at all of them, nodding slowly. She put her head back down and closed her eyes. Seconds later, her breath evened out, curling up to Azura.

“Everything must have tired her out,” Azura whispered to not disturb her, carefully running her hands through Sakura’s hair.

“Yeah, it must have—“ Hinoka paused to let out her own yawn. Everyone felt the their own drowsiness suddenly hit them in full force.

“We should get up,” Takumi spoke up though he made no other motion to move. Not that he could, Azura remembered with a slight giggle.

“Hm… Sakura looked rather comfortable, don’t you think? I’d rather not disturb her.” Ryoma raised his hand, gesturing to the closet. “I believe I have another futon in there, if you would, Hinoka.” Nodding, Hinoka carefully extracted herself from the mess of limbs, trying not to wake Sakura as she went to grab the spare futon.

“We’re going to stay here?” Takumi looked over at them, wrinkling his nose. “We’re not little kids anymore!”

“No,” Ryoma agreed, “but doing something like this, as brothers and sisters, is nice every once in a while, right?” Takumi grumbled something that no one could hear, but at last, he let out a sigh.

“At least get off of me then,” he muttered. Ryoma laughed, doing just that and Takumi sprang to his feet, groaning as he stretched his body after being crushed for so long. “Finally!”

“Takumi—“

“Yeah, yeah,” he only said tiredly, laying back down on the futon and making himself comfortable. Hinoka had finished putting the spare futon next to theirs, and Azura carefully eased herself off of Ryoma, trying her hardest not to wake up Sakura as she also brought her down to the other futon. Sakura mumbled something unintelligible before curling right back up to sleep, still holding onto Azura. Hinoka rejoined them, with the blankets Ryoma had thrown. Softly patting Sakura on the head first, Hinoka made herself comfortable next to Azura.

“Good night everyone,” she said, reaching over to blow out the lantern.

“Night,” everyone else chorused back.

Azura soon felt the darkness and silence of the night wash over her. Everyone else had quickly fallen asleep, exhausted from the events of the night. She would have loved to join them too but sleep never came easy for her.

Just this once though, she could feel her eyelids starting to droop. Even though it was more than cramped, what with _five_ people sharing only two futons, Azura had to admit that it also felt far too comfortable. So comfortable, that she swore it was a dream. A nice dream, but still a dream nonetheless.

Sakura made a sound then, still clinging tightly to Azura, and she realized this warmth she felt was indeed real. When was the last time she had felt something like this?

Far too long, she thought wistfully. 

Reaching forward to press a soft kiss to Sakura’s forehead first, Azura closed her eyes afterward, letting the sounds of the siblings lull her to sleep.


End file.
